FC Porto will be aiming to bounce back from a match-day two defeat as they travel to Antwerp on Wednesday. Antwerp appear to be struggling to cope with the quality in Group H of the Champions League and should be no match for the former winners.
Antwerp have not had the best time on their Champions League debut as they appear to be out of their depth in this competition. They have been beaten in both their matches so far, losing 5-0 to Barcelona in their opening fixture before throwing away a two goal lead in a 3-2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk last time out.
Having won the Jupiler Pro League last season, Antwerp are struggling to maintain that standard this term. The Belgians have picked up just one win in the last seven matches across all competitions and were beaten 3-2 by Sporting Charleroi in a domestic fixture last weekend.
One positive for Antwerp is that they claimed a 4-1 victory over AS Eupen in their previous fixture at Bosuilstadion. However, that result only just ended a run of three straight home matches without a win for Mark Van Bommel’s side.
FC Porto suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Barcelona in their previous Champions League fixture. They set out to make things difficult for the Catalans but fell behind on the stroke of halftime and could not find a way back into the contest.
With Barcelona seemingly running away with everything in Group H, the real battle appears to be for second place. Having picked up a 3-1 victory at Shakhtar Donetsk on match-day one, Porto will be confident of fending off the rest of the teams and securing a place in the round of 16.
FC Porto have generally been in good form lately and travel to Antwerp off the back of two straight wins. Sergio Conceicao’s men have generally been impressive on their recent travels, winning five of their last six away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
FC Porto have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/10 by 888Sport to claim the win. Antwerp are considered outsiders at home at 5/2 with BoyleSports while a draw is set at odds of 27/10 by William Hill.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Antwerp and FC Porto.
Players to watch
Arbnor Muja could be the one to watch for Antwerp having scored in the last two home matches, including the defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. William Hill is offering odds of 4/1 on the striker to score anytime on Wednesday.
Evanilson could be worth keeping an eye on for Porto on Wednesday having found the net in his last two matches. The attacker is priced at 15/8 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Antwerp’s previous Champions League fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 11/5 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 5/6 by 888Sport while William Hill is offering odds of 8/11 on both teams to score.
FC Porto have opened the scoring in three of their last four away matches and could be backed to grab the first goal on Wednesday at 8/11 with William Hill.
This UEFA Champions League match between Antwerp and FC Porto will be played on Oct 25, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Antwerp vs FC Porto prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
